Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister in a scene from Game of Thrones. Supplied

TV

Who will live in GoT?

by DUNCAN LAY

22nd Apr 2019 10:45 AM

It's the question every Game of Thrones fan wants answered - will their favourite character live or die in this, the final season?

The relative lack of controversial bloodshed in last week's show has only intensified speculation ahead of today's episode 2.

Obviously only a handful of people truly know, so we're going to do our best Three-Eyed Raven impression and try to predict what will happen. Remember you can make your picks too - and stand in line to win a $10,000 Iron Throne - with our super-fun game at NewsGoTChallenge.com.au.

Bear in mind that GoT creator George RR Martin has previously said the ending will be "bittersweet". However, his seventh book is titled A Dream Of Spring, so we can safely assume that means the Night King does NOT win. Otherwise it would be called The Endless Winter.

Anyhow, here are our spoiler-filled suggestions!

JON SNOW (AEGON TARGARYEN)

Discovering that Jon's real name is Aegon is a huge deal. In fact it is MASSIVE. Not just because there is proof he is now the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and the nephew of Daenerys, the aunt he is currently shagging. Let's jump back to season three for a moment and how Shireen Baratheon taught Ser Davos to read with the tale of King Aegon Targaryen, also know as Aegon the Conqueror. We know that the TV show has had to throw out dozens of Martin's subplots from the books and anything that was left in has to be relevant. So let's look at King Aegon. He founded the Targaryen dynasty and created Westeros with his dragons.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow, left, and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a scene from Game of Thrones.

How many times have we heard people talking about "changing the rules" and "breaking the wheel"? Think it's just coincidence?

Oh, and Aegon was married to his two sisters. So marrying an aunt would be nothing.

Jon is also being set up as Azor Ahai, the Prince That Was Promised. It's either him or Daenerys. Whoever isn't Azor Ahai will die, as the only way to defeat the Night King is with a sword called Lightbringer, which must use the soul of their true love as the source of its power. (Hey, I didn't make the rules up!)

So the equation is simple. Either he is Azor Ahai, in which case he kills the Night King, lives, rides on a dragon and gets to create a new world. Or he dies so Dany can do that.

But then again, there is a wild card here. In the books, Beric Dondarrion gives up his resurrected life to bring back Catelyn Stark. This didn't happen in the TV series, so they've still got Beric around to helpfully resurrect someone so Jon and Dany could still live happily ever after, if you forget the Auntcest.

Oh, and forget speculation that Beric and Tormund died when The Wall came down. They're still alive.

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

As discussed above, if she's Azor Ahai, she gets to live and sink Lightbringer into the heart of Jon Snow, her true love, to use his soul to power the blade. That could be why she keeps asking about the wound over his heart and they keep showing it. It might make a useful aiming point.

Or he's Azor Ahai and she has to die on the blade (or be resurrected by Beric).

Maisie Williams, left, and Kit Harington in a scene from Game of Thrones.

Part of this depends on the TV show writers. George RR Martin would kill one of them for sure. But this is TV land, where every ending must be happy, so Beric could be wheeled in for a quick kiss of life.

Will she be able to handle Jon being the rightful ruler? Yes, of course, because they're both so noble it hurts.

For what it's worth, like Cersei, below, Daenerys is a top tip by a lot of players in our GoT Challenge game for a relatively early death.

CERSEI LANNISTER

She's a dead woman walking. The only question is what will kill her. Or who.

Maggy the Frog, a fortune teller, prophesied that things would not end well for Cersei. First she prophesied that Cersei would have three children and then be "cast down" by a younger, more beautiful Queen (hello Daenerys!)

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister in a scene from Game of Thrones.

Then: "And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."

Valonqar is High Valyrian for Little Brother. Cersei always thought that meant Tyrion - and it still could. But, given the fight she's had with Jaime and his hatred for anyone who uses wildfire on people, it could be him as he is younger than her and technically her "little" brother.

JAIME LANNISTER

Last seen riding north to tell the others about Cersei's treachery. In a kind, just world he would help defeat the Night King and find love in the arms of Brienne. Instead, he's going to have to kill his beloved sister (and unborn child) and then will die - horribly - because he's so grief-stricken.

Game of Thrones final season, and star Rory McCann.

TYRION LANNISTER

He could still kill Cersei. But he won't die. Not only is he too much of a fan favourite, he's the grease that keeps the wheels of Westeros moving. We know Lord Varys is going to die, because Melisandre announced it last season. Plus, a major theme has been preserving the lines of the Great Houses. He will live, will find happiness and serve as either Jon or Dany's Hand. That will take some of the sting out of the other deaths.

SANSA, BRAN AND ARYA STARK

They are all going to live. Too many Starks have died and now the rest will live. Now Jon is a Targaryen we are going to need a new Warden Of The North - Sansa. Bran is the Three-Eyed Raven and vital to the existence of the world. And Arya? Well, she's indestructible.

If worst comes to worst she'll just put on a wight's face and pretend to be Undead. One more point about Sansa - if Dany has to die to defeat the Night King then Sansa could become the queen prophesied to cast down Cersei. After all, she's always wanted to be a queen.

Euron and his tight leather pants are going to go down. Hopefully not at the same time. Thanks to Jon Snow's wise words, Theon has finally reconciled himself and is ready to be the hero. Given that Euron is off trying to bring back a mercenary army for Cersei to unleash on Danerys and Jon, that's a good thing.

We're not sure how he will do it but Theon will kill Euron and free Yara. He might well die doing so but that's not likely. We've invested seven seasons in Theon's bumbling cowardice. Season eight will be the pay-off.

The Greyjoys are also fan picks for an early demise, according to GoTChallenge.com.au

BRIENNE OF TARTH

She's going to help heal Jaime's broken heart and then send him back to King's Landing to kill Cersei. And then she's going to shag Tormund's brains out and create a brood of giant Wildlings. I can't wait for the scene where she picks Tormund up in her arms and carries him off to bed. Come on. We all want to see these two get together.

Gemma Whelan in Game of Thrones.

GREY WORM AND MISSANDEI

I don't like Grey Worm's chances. The death toll against the Army of the Dead will be very high in the Unsullied. If there is some way for magic to allow Grey Worm to regrow his pink worm, then he could make it and end up happily ever after with Missandei. But it's more likely that he goes and she has to struggle through the grief.

SANDOR AND GREGOR CLEGANE

Oh, it's on. Clegane Bowl is coming, after the big tease at the end of season seven. And it will be fantastic. The Hound will win, of course, and then find some peace and happiness. As well as a shitload of wine and chicken. Or he could die, considering he died in the books!

John Bradley portraying Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones.

BRONN AND TORMUND

You can't kill these guys. Partly because they're so much fun but mainly because the pay-off in a happy ending for them (Bronn ends up with a castle and a beautiful woman - maybe Missandei - and Tormund ends up with Brienne and brings the Wildlings into the fold of Westeros) is just too good to ignore.

SAM AND GILLY

Big survivors. Not only are they too nice to kill, they will be the ones to write the history of the Game Of Thrones. Even if we're wrong about everyone else and they all die, Sam and Gilly will live on.

Dead. The lot of them. The problem is they don't have a storyline with a finish so compelling that they have to live. The only question is whether Beric dies fighting or sacrifices his resurrected life to bring back either Jon or Dany.